Successful learning advice: writing your first essay

An essay is a document based on your view of what you are studying. There are three main parts to it, the Thesis paragraph (opener), body, and conclusion (ending). Each part is important, but the Thesis and Conclusion are what will make or break your essay.

Starting

Before you do anything, the writer needs to find a topic in the area they are writing about. It does not matter what the main subject is, you need a topic from it. Someone will tell you what the subject is, that someone could be the instructor, school, or a department Dean. Once that has been done, then look over the subject and find a topic you are comfortable with. Then get it checked with the person that assigned it.

Outline

Next step is to develop and write your outline. The outline needs to cover what you are writing about. What each paragraph/group of paragraphs will cover. On short essays a single paragraph for each point of the topic is fine. On larger essays two or more depending on the size are better. Example would be, a 500 word essay would have one paragraph per point of the topic. A 1000 word essay would have two paragraphs per point. A 750 word essay could have a mix of one and two paragraphs, or two paragraphs per point.

Thesis Paragraph

Thesis Paragraph needs to be an outline to the reader. It is just like your outline. The difference is it gives the reader brief information of what you are covering. In other words in your Thesis Paragraph, it will that the essay is about “A research on how Ladybugs benefit Pea Farmers”. Now someone looking at this will know what it is about. Then as you outline the essay they will know what you are writing about, and what to expect.

Body

The body will cover the information as you outlined. Broken into sub-topics (points) in each paragraph. And each paragraph will cover in depth that point. Make sure that there is enough information to give a cohesive coverage. Look at information on what losses to Aphids, which are a main diet of ladybugs. Then show how the reduction of loss is when ladybugs are present. Then how there are companies where you can buy ladybug eggs from.

Conclusion Paragraph

The Conclusion Paragraph, is where you will tie everything together, and summarize the paper. If there is anything from the other paragraphs, or if you need to tie the paragraphs more coherently together this is where you do it. You will also summarize the paper in this paragraph, with an over view of it.